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On veut livrer un colis à Marie ce soir.

On veut livrer un colis à Marie ce soir.
They want to deliver a package to Marie this evening.
FromLesson 23inHardcore French
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Questions & Answers about On veut livrer un colis à Marie ce soir.

What does on mean here—“we” or “someone/they”?
In everyday French, on most often means we. It can also be indefinite (“someone/people/they”) depending on context. Either way, on always takes third‑person singular verb forms.
Why is it veut and not voulons or veulent?
Because on conjugates like il/elle (third person singular). Present tense of vouloir: je veux, tu veux, il/elle/on veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils/elles veulent.
Can I use nous voulons instead of on veut?
Yes: Nous voulons livrer un colis à Marie ce soir is correct. On veut is more common in speech; nous voulons sounds more formal or emphatic, especially in writing.
Why use livrer instead of apporter?
  • livrer = to deliver (often as a service: courier, delivery driver, etc.).
  • apporter = to bring (you personally carry it to someone). If you’re personally taking it to Marie, apporter is fine: On veut apporter un colis à Marie ce soir. Other near-synonyms: donner (to give), remettre (to hand over), distribuer (to distribute to many people).
What does à Marie express? Why not chez Marie or pour Marie?
  • à Marie marks the recipient: deliver the package to Marie (the person).
  • chez Marie refers to Marie’s home/place: deliver to her address.
  • pour Marie means “for Marie” (intended for her), not necessarily delivered to her directly. So your sentence says the recipient is Marie; if you mean her address, chez Marie is also possible.
How do I replace un colis and à Marie with pronouns?

Say: On veut le lui livrer ce soir.

  • le replaces un colis (masculine direct object).
  • lui replaces à Marie (indirect object; note lui is used for both masculine and feminine people). Word order with two object pronouns (non-imperative): me/te/se/nous/vous + le/la/les + lui/leur + y + en. With an infinitive, pronouns go right before that infinitive: le lui livrer.
  • Negative: On ne veut pas le lui livrer ce soir.
  • Affirmative imperative: Livrez-le-lui ce soir ! Don’t use y for people; use lui/leur.
Is the word order fixed? Can I say On veut livrer à Marie un colis ce soir?
Default order is direct object before indirect object: livrer un colis à Marie. Livrer à Marie un colis is possible but less common and tends to emphasize the recipient (more natural if the direct object is long/heavy).
Where can I put ce soir?

It’s flexible:

  • Neutral: On veut livrer un colis à Marie ce soir.
  • Fronted for emphasis/time frame: Ce soir, on veut livrer un colis à Marie.
  • After the finite verb (more formal): On veut ce soir livrer un colis à Marie.
What’s the difference between ce soir, ce soir-là, and ce soir même?
  • ce soir = tonight/this evening (the current or context day).
  • ce soir-là = that evening (a specific evening previously mentioned).
  • ce soir même = this very evening (emphatic: the very same evening, no delay).
How do I negate the sentence?
On ne veut pas livrer un colis à Marie ce soir. With pronouns: On ne veut pas le lui livrer ce soir. In casual speech the ne often drops: On veut pas…
If I mean “we’re going to/will deliver,” what should I say instead of “want to deliver”?
  • Near future: On va livrer un colis à Marie ce soir (we’re going to deliver).
  • Simple future: On livrera un colis à Marie ce soir (we will deliver). On veut livrer expresses desire/intention, not a firm plan.
Anything tricky about colis (gender, plural, pronunciation)?
  • Gender: masculine → un colis, le colis.
  • Plural: des colis (spelling is the same singular/plural).
  • Final s in colis is always silent; singular and plural sound the same: roughly “koh-lee.”
Any pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?
  • on: nasal vowel (like “ohn” with the n not fully pronounced).
  • veut: rounded vowel (similar to the vowel in French bleu).
  • livrer: “lee-vray.”
  • un: nasal “uh(n).”
  • colis: “koh-lee,” final s silent.
  • à: “ah.”
  • Marie: “ma-ree.”
  • ce: “suh.”
  • soir: “swahr.” Note: there’s no liaison from colis to à; the final s in colis is never pronounced.
Why is it ce soir and not cet soir?
Because soir is masculine and starts with a consonant, you use ce. cet is only used before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel sound or mute h (e.g., cet ami, cet homme).

More from this lesson

avoir raisonTu as raison, on va partir plus tôt.avoir tortla foisJe pense que j’ai tort cette fois.rappelerRappelle-moi ce soir, s’il te plaît.Elle me rappelle toujours le matin.
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